Richard Zhang

PhD thesis: TBC

Research interests:

1. Silicon photonics
2. Photonic integrated circuits
3. Optical communication
4. Optical sensing

As we approach the end of Moore’s law and reach the limit on how much we can scale electronic circuits, it becomes more and more important to find alternative solutions. Silicon photonics, where light is routed on a chip using waveguides (the analogue to wires for light) made from silicon (or a compound of silicon) coated in silicon dioxide, holds promising applications in communication, sensing, and computing. Photonic integrated circuits can bring large reductions in power and increases in speed in the areas where they can be used, but there are important limitations on their applicability, such as bandwidth and control circuitry design, which need to be addressed to fully exploit their benefits.

Who or what inspired you to pursue your research interests?

During my internships designing electronic integrated circuits, I really felt the gradual saturation of the field, and the increasing difficulty to make groundbreaking advances in it. Then, during my third year, the photonics course led by Dr Qixiang Cheng (my current PhD supervisor!) made me interested to explore more about photonics as an alternative. Hence, I did a fourth year project in optical switching (a subfield within optical communications), enjoyed it, and so here I am.